I Already Know the Answer
by zelasswilder
Summary: “…” Lloyd didn’t manage anything intelligent to fake. Math sucked. There was no way to act like you knew it. You either did or you didn’t. Zelos Wilder knew it; Lloyd Irving didn’t. NOT SLASH.


**Author's Notes**: A fun little tutor-fic between Zelos and Lloyd. I was inspired by a picture I saw on an image search of Zelos sitting on top of Lloyd while the two are reading. So I churned this out. All credit for the math problem goes to purplemath(dot)com. I, by no means, am intelligent enough to talk somebody through a math problem like Zelos does in this fic and I appreciate the website for it's step-by-step tutoring examples. I also want to thank my loyal readers. I know I dropped off the radar for a while but I'm back to writing before I get busy with applying to colleges and all that jazz associate with senior-year. Hopefully all the chapter-continuation stories will be finished before I enter that time. I have a good idea that they'll all reach their endings sometime in the summer (some, maybe, during Spring Break). OKAY, rant over. That's a little update about what's going on with me. I do want my readers to know I appreciate reviews, and if I'm not updating it's just because I'm busy. I'm not ignoring your pleas. This is probably my last one-shot for a while, I need to get back to my other stories. If you enjoy this enough, I'll return to this eventually (I PROMISE). Now, on with the story!

* * *

"Na na na nana naaa," Zelos sang obnoxiously in Lloyd's ear. He was sitting contently on top of Lloyd's back. The brunette hated this game; it was called 'answer-or-your-back'll-hurt'. Zelos had decided it was the best way to get Lloyd to get the right answer into his brain while he got tutored by the red-head. It succeeded mainly in making the swordsman's back ache.

Zelos adjusted, digging his elbow into Lloyd's back with a cocky smile on his features, "La la laaaaa, answer it Lloooooyd," he cooed, rocking slightly so his face was beside Lloyd's ear as he observed him with intelligent clear blue eyes. There was a book in his pale hands while his foot kicked to the rhythm in his head.

"I don't even remember the stupid question-- you're distracting me," Lloyd grumbled at the red-head on top of him as Zelos rolled over so he was lying facing upward at the sky while still sitting on his back. "Owwww, Zelos get ooooooooooff!"

"Answer it, ding-dong," Zelos knocked his fist atop Lloyd's skull. Lloyd sunk further into the note-book he had set up underneath him. The chosen took a deep dramatic breath before saying, "Chemists define the acidity or alkalinity of a substance according to the formula "pH = –log[H+]" where [H+] is the hydrogen ion concentration, measured in moles per liter," Zelos's finger's were digging into Lloyd's arm aggressively after hearing the brunette let out a bored sigh, "Solutions with a pH value of less than 7 are acidic; solutions with a pH value of greater than 7 are basic; solutions with a pH of 7," he sighed when Lloyd didn't react in anyway, "Like pure water, for example would have a pH of 7. That shit is neutral."

"Neutral to what?" Lloyd inquired dryly.

"Shut up, I'm not done," Zelos told him in a simple teacher tone that was way too much like Raine's for him not to do as he was told, "A) Suppose that you test apple juice and find that the hydrogen ion concentration is [H+] = 0.0003. Find the pH value and determine whether the juice is basic or acidic."

"Well," Lloyd took a deep breath to put on a show that he was about to think about it.

"Not done," Zelos announced, "I've got a second part to this, bud. You ready for part B?" his elbows snagged Lloyd's shoulder blade and the brunette groaned in pain. "Alright, so you've tested some ammonia, y'know? You determined the hydrogen ion concentration to be [H+] = 1.3 × 10–9. Now, go and find the pH value and determine whether the ammonia is basic or acidic."

"…" Lloyd didn't manage anything intelligent to fake. Math sucked. There was no way to act like you knew it. You either did or you didn't. Zelos Wilder knew it; Lloyd Irving didn't.

"Alright," Zelos rolled off of his back and Lloyd immediately sat up, rubbing his back in agony as the red head rolled so he was in front of him. "Here we go, bud," he took his notebook and removed the pencil from behind his ear. "You don't get this at all, right?" he looked at him with expectant blue eyes.

"… Errrr, not really," Lloyd meekly responded.

"At least you're honest," Zelos chuckled as he began to write on the paper. "So, first, I need to evaluate the pH function at the given value of [H+]… You know, to decide if this juice is basic or acidic. I also gotta use it on the ammonia."

"Why?" Lloyd looked at him in confusion, "Can't somebody just figure that somewhere else?"

"I already know the answer. The reason we're doing this is so you don't have to go and use a lab to test this- so you can do it with numbers, Lloyd, instead of other means. If you can use your mind, you don't need that help," Zelos scowled at him. Lloyd was always surprised by that intellectual side of Tethe'alla's chosen. "Anyway, in the case of the apple juice, the hydrogen ion concentration is [H+] = 0.0003, so…"

Lloyd looked at the paper in front of them that Zelos had previously been scribbling on. He turned it and pointed at what he had written, "pH = –log[H+] = –log[0.0003] = 3.52287874528..." Zelos's eyes looked up to Lloyd now, his head cocked to see if the brunette understood.

"3.522... That's…" Lloyd knew the answer had to do with that number. Especially how Zelos's eyebrows had raised in surprise at him getting something right. Alright, just go with it! "...which is less than 7." Zelos had leaned in slightly, seeming excited that he was understanding this.

"Soooo?" Zelos hopefully cooed.

"So this is acidic!" Lloyd cheered and Zelos grinned.

"Alright!" Zelos handed him the pencil, "Do ammonia," he ordered.

"W-what?" Lloyd stared at him in shock at Zelos letting him go on his own, "I can't do it as fast as you can!"

"I don't care how fast you can do it. As long as you can get it done," Zelos huffed and he pointed at the paper. "Just give it a shot," he ordered.

Lloyd took the pencil in his hands and he stared down at the paper, "… Zelos, I don't get this," he whimpered out.

Zelos shook his head, "Try it. If you do it and you're wrong I can at least tell you where you messed up. If you don't try at all there's nothing there to fix or improve," he tapped the paper, "Just do it, Lloyd."

"I don't wannaa," Lloyd groaned.

"DO IT," Zelos barked, getting up in his face huffily, "Don't make me get on your back again!"

Lloyd moaned dramatically before starting to think pathetically. He began to write on the paper and only got as far as setting up the equation; [H+] = 1.3 × 10–9. He couldn't make the numbers multiply in his mind.

Zelos had leaned back and began examining his fingernails in slight disinterest. He was making a note in the back of his mind to clean them out whenever they reached the next city. For now, they were stuck in the woods and he was tutoring Lloyd by the strict orders of Raine because she didn't want him getting rusty. In Zelos's eyes, you can't make a pile of dirt rusty. Which was exactly how he decided Lloyd's mind was like; a pile of dirt. At least with math. This was absolutely hopeless-

"pH = –log[H+] = –log[1.3 × 10–9] = 8.88605664769..." Lloyd spoke up at his side and Zelos blinked, turning to look at him in surprise. Lloyd's face was distorted in a sort of pain that came when one used a part of their brain that had never before been strained, "8.88605664769…"

"Which is?" Zelos asked softly.

"...which is more than 7," Lloyd looked over at him, "So it's basic?"

Zelos nodded with a grin, "Uhuh! You got it, bud!" he gave his friend a bear hug before looking back at the paper.

"The juice is acidic with a pH of about 3.5, and the ammonia is basic with a pH of about 8.9!" Lloyd cheered, standing up with Zelos and beginning to dance around.

"YES YES YES!" Zelos cheered as he glomped him, "YOU'RE SO RIGHT, LLOYD! YOU'RE SO VERY RIGHT!" Never mind the fact the chosen had found the answer for the juice. Lloyd had gotten an answer and that was worth a celebratory dance of epic proportions.

The two men danced for a good ten minutes before Raine looked over at the two from her spot by Genis. "I can't believe that philanderer is teaching him anything," she mused.

"Zelos is annoying. Lloyd is probably just learning so he doesn't have to spend time with him more than he has to," Genis mumbled as he studied.

"… Perhaps… Or maybe he has discovered a new method of teaching I haven't pursued yet," Raine thought aloud.

"Like what?" Genis scoffed, "Groping doesn't induce learning."

Raine was thoughtful for a moment, becoming quiet to the point Genis just didn't expect her to answer at all.

_Answer-or-your-back'll-hurt… Pure genius._


End file.
